Tag: home decor

We have all seen the many different projects you can create from a pallet, specifically shelving. A few months back I found an old pallet on the side of the road that was calling my name! I hauled it home and it’s been sitting under my car port waiting for me to transform it into home decor projects! So far I have made a mail box organizer for inside, and now I added my second item from the scraps of a pallet…vertical shelves! These shelves are narrow, so items like small pots or jars are the perfect items to display on there.

This pallet that I found has so much character, as it’s older and more run down. (which is the best!) The boards are no where near straight, they have more of a curve appeal to the wood, which I LOVE. It adds the simplest details and naturally stands out.

You seriously should have seen me working with this pallet! I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to create, so I just kept cutting away with my jigsaw until I came across this simple masterpiece! 🙂 Finally I turned one of my cut out pieces vertical and saw the end result! I didn’t have to screw anything else into this piece. I simply stained it and had my husband (because I’m terrible at drilling…) screw it into our wall. I decided to go ahead and display this piece outside, as it truly makes a statement when plants are added to it.

Side note-My work area is outside under our car port, which faces the front of the house. It’s always a sight to see me working out there and when people walk by I definitely sense them viewing in on what I’m up to…Hello, I’m the DIY gal in the neighborhood. HAHA! If you’re in the neighborhood stop by on Wednesdays/Thursdays as I’m usually creating things outside!

There are not many steps to this project. It requires cutting, staining, and screwing into the wall. I have to make this post short and sweet because currently Little Johnny is up and pretty much destroying the house, haha. He’s playing in the Tupperware cabinet right now, but who knows how long that will last! Might I add too that it’s 7:30am in the morning and this little guy woke up at 5:30am! WHAT is that about, huh?! MOTHERHOOD…Anyways onto my DIY project!

Vertical Shelving Made From A Pallet

I could see this displayed inside a home as well. You could also create more than one to add more to the look. Where could you see yourself hanging this?

It’s been a long week over here! For you too?! Before I get into the DIY post, I’m sharing with you some personal insights I’ve had this week. If you’re just looking for “How to make your plain paper lantern “fancy”, then scroll to the middle of this post. No hard feeling, I promise! 🙂

Lately I’ve taken a bit of a social media break (although, I still check in every now and then). Usually I post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately, so I sat down and analyzed about what I can take a step back from in life, and in that moment I knew it was the amount of time on social media. Stepping into blogging I never imagined the amount of time & energy it would take just promoting yourself on social media.

I still love blogging, but I may have to cut down to just 2 posts a week because I don’t want to end up “losing” my love for blogging due to the preassure of having to “get my post out that day”. I want to present quality posts and I feel as though lately I’ve been rushed to get that Wednesday post written for the week. I may come back to 3 posts a week, but for now this is just what I need to do.

Quick story and I’ll get to the actual fun part of this post.

Just the other day Little Johnny, LadyBelle (our dog), and myself were taking our evening walk. I had my phone out and I was taking a picture of these beautiful Azalea flowers (not going to lie, I probably intentionally was thinking “Hey! This would be a great instagram post!” Well, in that moment as I was putting my phone back into my pocket, I dropped it. Then I heard “that” sound which everyone cringes at…yup, I definitely shattered my iPhone’s screen. The good news is my phone still works, and I can still somewhat make out what’s on my screen.

I tend to take happenings like this in life as a sign from God. So, after being very upset with myself about being clumsy and not taking care of my things (I’m notorious for NOT being a great “care taker” with anything related to technology. I came to the conclusion that this “sign” could mean two things…

“Enjoy the moments for yourself, everything doesn’t always have to be captured for others.

Life can be shattering at times, but in the end it takes perseverance to see through the cracked screen. Don’t give up, keep chugging along. Even though things may seem shattered, you can still see pass the cracks to what lies ahead. I need to trust that God will handle things as long as I am being the best of me.

So anyways, that’s been hovering over me this week. I was hesitant to share, but I decided to because this blog is also about updates on my life.

I have also been busy with trying to find a way to supplement our income. Here’s a joyful moment- I’m happy to share with you that I’ve been hired as a Tinkergarten leader & a VIP Kid instructor where I’ll teach English to children over in Beijing through a webcam! I’ll share more details about this adventure a bit later.

Onto the post…

How to make your plain paper lantern “fancy”

I’ve had this white paper lantern sitting in my closet for a long time. I decided it was too plain and I had to make it “fancy” by adding decorative details, from coffee filter flowers to ribbons & crystals. I love the end result. I have yet to find a place to hang it in my home, so I decided to take it outside to stage my photos of this pretty little thing. 🙂 I could definitely see many of these used for baby showers, wedding showers, actual wedding decor, baby girl’s nursery, and the list goes on.

The aspects of this paper lantern pop through while being against an outdoor background. The contrast is breathtaking. The crystals glisten when the sun rays catch them, and the ribbons sway to the wind.

Like this:

Pillow cases are such an easy quick fix to switching up your decorative style. They also add a great “pop” of color to your decor. I have been wanting to add new pillow cases in my living room, but they tend to be expensive, PLUS I always thought it would fun to make my own. Here’s the problem…I don’t have a sewing machine. So I searched and searched for a “no sew” pillow. I found some where you did this crazy knotted tie in the front, but I figured I would probably have a “Pinterest Fail” with that! Then, I came across this GENIUS idea!

canvas bag+pillow stuffing+hot glue gun= NO SEW pillow case

GENIUS, right?!

I bought everything at Hobby Lobby for about $12 to make 2 pillow cases, plus I still have stuffing leftover to make another one!

Best part is this took about 10 minutes for me to make 2 pillows because it’s pretty much already done for you! Just add the stuffing and glue the top!

No Sew Pillow Case

{Supplies}

canvas tote (these worked out perfectly because I love polka dots, and the simple word “hello”, plus gold is a wonderful touch!) I bought these at Hobby Lobby, but any canvas tote will do.

stuffing

scissors

hot glue gun

binder clips (not pictured)

{Steps}

1. cut the handles off the bag.

2. fill the bag with stuffing, make sure to stuff your corners first

3. take your top seam and fold down, then start to hot glue together

4. as you are hot gluing use binder clips to keep the areas you glued in tact while they dry

5. once you get to a small opening left, put a little more stuffing in

Wahlah! That’s it, you now have beautiful pillows to add within your home decor!

Happy Creating!

I always love hearing from people, so feel free to share your insights in the comments below! You can also share this post with anyone else and follow me on my facebook page, as well as instagram. Thank you so much for taking the time to read!

It’s DIY Friday! Time to get creative! Remember, creativity doesn’t have to be something intensive or a huge project. From the words of Albert Einstein, “Creativity is just intelligence having fun.” I know creating and crafting can be a little intimidating, but I’ve learned that really there isn’t a wrong or right way. The best part is sometimes you even discover great things from your mistakes. I’ll share with you something that truly enhanced this DIY Friday project.

{Make Sure to Click on the GIVEAWAY link at the bottom of this page}

So this week I needed some inspiration, I decided to go window shopping at crafts stores such as Hobby Lobby (one of my favorite stores!) I still wasn’t sure about what project I should create. On Wednesday evening I was sitting in my living room and it hit me. I love to create with wood, and somehow incorporate quotes. I have a wood quote that is easy to move around and it sits right on my entertainment center. I thought to myself, I can make that, but more individualized to my decor style. Below is the picture of what inspired this DIY Friday project. (they sell them at Hallmark, and many other craft stores)

I decided that’s exactly what I wanted to make, but more…what’s the word…ahh, yes…FANCY.

The best part is I’m giving it away to a lucky winner! So make sure to click the link that will be posted in the closing of this post. Follow along as I take you through the steps of creating a Fancy Wood Sign.